New Zealand head coach Gary Stead: “He has a stress reaction in his right foot. We still haven’t been able to get him back to running and then obviously bowling as well. Looking like hopefully a mid-January return”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
New Zealand will be without all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme for the entire series against Pakistan.
De Grandhomme “has a stress reaction in his right foot”, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead confirmed and added that he expects the 34-year-old to return in mid-January.
“He has a stress reaction in his right foot. We still haven’t been able to get him back to running and then obviously bowling as well. Looking like hopefully a mid-January return,” Stead was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Stead is hoping that spinner Ajaz Patel will be fit for the Test series as he is currently recovering from a calf injury.
“We are hoping he will be in contention for the Test matches against Pakistan, but it’s still a bit wait and see,” he said.
Pakistan will play three T20 Internationals and two Tests in New Zealand, with the series beginning on Friday and concluding on January 7.